L is for Learn Spanish Fluently

I spent nearly two years in Chile, and another year in Honduras. I take advantage of the work study privilege the university at which I work offers, taking a few Spanish classes a year. I travel yearly to Spanish speaking countries so that I can practice the language, and yet still, I haven’t mastered it.

I understand how difficult it is to learn a language. I teach English every day to students who are learning it to eventually attend university classes in English. I see their struggles, and at the beginning of each term, I tell my students that I too am learning a language. I want them to know that I truly do understand the enormous task it is to learn a foreign language.

And, as a second language teacher, I’ll tell you something not many want you to know. I fully believe that some people truly are just better at learning a language. I do not know what it is in the brain, nor do I have scientific research to back this up. What I do know is what I see every day in my classes, and what I myself have been through. Some students just get it. They enjoy it. They push towards it. I am not that student.

One would think, after having lived abroad for nearly three years in Spanish speaking countries, that I would be much more fluent than I am right now. One would especially think that after taking so many university level Spanish classes that I am more than half way to a minor in it.  But I sadly, am not.

I am most certainly better than I was when I first stepped foot in Chile ten years ago, knowing, quite literally only the words for ‘bathroom,’ ‘beer’ and ‘apple’ (not sure why I knew ‘apple’-not exactly as necessary as the other two.) In fact, I recently traveled around Cuba for a month quite competently and confidently using my Spanish in a country where very little English is spoken. I understand much more than I speak, but I can also get said what needs to be said.

All of this, I feel, is a great accomplishment, but I can’t help but think, that after 10 years of living and learning Spanish, I would be a bit further along.  It’s discouraging, yes, but not defeating.  I remember my father once told me how proud he was of me (words not often spoken by him to me.) He told me that the people in our family were not good at learning languages and that he thought it was a great feat for me to have tackled.  For whatever, ‘I’ll show you’ reason, it helped to make me even more determined to become fluent. I’ve got time and several more Spanish speaking countries in which to practice.

Cuban Blog Day #4- Don't Speak the Language and Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

I decided I didn’t need more than one more day in the city as the guide had suggested. I was ready to get to the beach, but as I needed to reserve a bus for the journey on, I had one more day in Santiago. I woke early and ate my pizza from the dinner the night before and wrote in the morning.

I then went walking in the direction of the cemetery.  I found a bicitaxiwho took me the rest of the way, which was good because I was lost and it turned out to me much farther than I’d thought. It’d been threatening to rain all morning.  I walked around the cemetery, found the mausoleum for Bacardi- a great pyramid structure in the middle of the cemetery- Exactly how I would commemorate him.  I continued strolling around the beautiful cemetery wondering when it would rain. It never really did.

I took another bicitaxiback to the center of town and found a fast food sandwich.  I went across the street for a few mojitos where I met a giant Cuban boxer.  The boxer was cool for a while until he tried to sell me cigars and then asked me to buy him a drink. I shook him and then another Rasta looking guy came round to talk to me. Again, I thought he was cool until he asked me for CUCs in exchange for pesos to apparently buy balloons for his daughter’s birthday party that evening. This turned out to be a familiar hustle, balloons, go figure.

I found a taxi to take me to the fort, Castillo De San Pedro De La RocaDel Morro. The taxi was $15 CUC and would take me and wait for me to return.  It was $4 CUC to get in and another to take photos. The view of the sea and the bay was beautiful and I saw a family of iguanas, the father scaling the wall of the fort.

I saw the ceremony of the guards as they took the flag down for the evening and then watched as they loaded the cannon and heard and saw it fire off into the sea. I don’t think I’ve ever see a real cannon fire. It was incredibly loud.

 I returned to the city and ate at a restaurant the taxi shotgunner suggested. (For whatever reason, the taxi drivers work in pairs. I guess one to do the hustle and the other to drive. The hustler comes along for the ride and sits shotgun. This makes it rather inconvenient if you are trying to save money and fit two couples and their packs into a taxi.)

The place was another beautiful terrace restaurant I would have never realized was so nice until walking up three flights of stairs. I had a very nice dinner while listening to the Spanish version of The Eagles played live by a three piece band.

 

Traveling tips #4 and #5 Don’t speak the language- There is a theory that it is because I speak Spanish that people find the opportunity to speak to me and then ask something of me. I remember telling my dad after traveling in Colombia that I do not know if it is better now that I speak the language or not. He didn’t understand what I meant, and I tried to explain that instead of being oblivious to why we were waiting, or how much something cost, or what someone was begging for,  I now knew.  The same can be said here.  I love any opportunity I have to practice my Spanish and get to know the people, though it may be easier to simply pretend I have no idea that people are asking for something.

Take this advice as you will- I do think the opportunity to meet and get to know amazing people while traveling far out weighs the more infrequent disappointments of discovering sometimes they want something from me. Try as I might, I simply can’t keep my mouth shut now that I know what is being said. I must respond and generally I am happy I did.

 

#5- Don’t judge a book by its cover- I would have never gone into any of the places I ate in Santiago De Cubasimply from looking at it from the outside. They looked like nothing special, but as I said, Santiago is a city built upon itself and once you make your way up the three or four flights of stairs you find yourself on a beautiful rooftop terrace. Unlike most places I’ve traveled where the waiters are outside calling people in, Santiagodid not have this, though I wish they would. So be sure and see what’s above.

Cuban Blog Day #4- Don't Speak the Language and Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

I decided I didn’t need more than one more day in the city as the guide had suggested. I was ready to get to the beach, but as I needed to reserve a bus for the journey on, I had one more day in Santiago. I woke early and ate my pizza from the dinner the night before and wrote in the morning.

I then went walking in the direction of the cemetery.  I found a bicitaxi who took me the rest of the way, which was good because I was lost and it turned out to me much farther than I’d thought. It’d been threatening to rain all morning.  I walked around the cemetery, found the mausoleum for Bacardi- a great pyramid structure in the middle of the cemetery- Exactly how I would commemorate him.  I continued strolling around the beautiful cemetery wondering when it would rain. It never really did.

I took another bicitaxi back to the center of town and found a fast food sandwich.  I went across the street for a few mojitos where I met a giant Cuban boxer.  The boxer was cool for a while until he tried to sell me cigars and then asked me to buy him a drink. I shook him and then another Rasta looking guy came round to talk to me. Again, I thought he was cool until he asked me for CUCs in exchange for pesos to apparently buy balloons for his daughter’s birthday party that evening. This turned out to be a familiar hustle, balloons, go figure.

I found a taxi to take me to the fort, Castillo De San Pedro De La RocaDel Morro. The taxi was $15 CUC and would take me and wait for me to return.  It was $4 CUC to get in and another to take photos. The view of the sea and the bay was beautiful and I saw a family of iguanas, the father scaling the wall of the fort.

I saw the ceremony of the guards as they took the flag down for the evening and then watched as they loaded the cannon and heard and saw it fire off into the sea. I don’t think I’ve ever see a real cannon fire. It was incredibly loud.

 I returned to the city and ate at a restaurant the taxi shotgunner suggested. (For whatever reason, the taxi drivers work in pairs. I guess one to do the hustle and the other to drive. The hustler comes along for the ride and sits shotgun. This makes it rather inconvenient if you are trying to save money and fit two couples and their packs into a taxi.)

The place was another beautiful terrace restaurant I would have never realized was so nice until walking up three flights of stairs. I had a very nice dinner while listening to the Spanish version of The Eagles played live by a three piece band.

 

Traveling tips #4 and #5 Don’t speak the language- There is a theory that it is because I speak Spanish that people find the opportunity to speak to me and then ask something of me. I remember telling my dad after traveling in Colombia that I do not know if it is better now that I speak the language or not. He didn’t understand what I meant, and I tried to explain that instead of being oblivious to why we were waiting, or how much something cost, or what someone was begging for,  I now knew.  The same can be said here.  I love any opportunity I have to practice my Spanish and get to know the people, though it may be easier to simply pretend I have no idea that people are asking for something.

Take this advice as you will- I do think the opportunity to meet and get to know amazing people while traveling far out weighs the more infrequent disappointments of discovering sometimes they want something from me. Try as I might, I simply can’t keep my mouth shut now that I know what is being said. I must respond and generally I am happy I did.

 

#5- Don’t judge a book by its cover- I would have never gone into any of the places I ate in Santiago De Cuba simply from looking at it from the outside. They looked like nothing special, but as I said, Santiago is a city built upon itself and once you make your way up the three or four flights of stairs you find yourself on a beautiful rooftop terrace. Unlike most places I’ve traveled where the waiters are outside calling people in, Santiago did not have this, though I wish they would. So be sure and see what’s above.